Shirley Jackson The Lottery Tradition

Words: 876
Pages: 4

As time evolves so does society. There are traditions that have been passed on from generation to generations. In doing so there are those that do not believe in some of these customs, yet they continue to participate. In the story titled “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the author shows an example of how societies blindly follow traditions. This social activity is an annual event in which the villagers participate. Although society upholds this tradition for so many years, it has shown a distinction of the conflicts that occur due to this tradition. There has been a determination to hold on to all factors of the tradition there by causing conflicts.
The Lottery, emphasizes that every year a town has a lottery in which persons who win or lose in this event, will be stoned to death by his/ her neighbors. This practice is created to uphold social configuration within the township, “The Lottery” is about a town that has allowed its traditions to get out of hand. It is also clear that the story has detailed facts that lead most people to believe that the writer’s objectives were not to write a fearful story, but rather an appeal to all those who are writing these stories to stop. Tradition is the most important tool of every culture and society. Jackson emphasizes that “the original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool was born” (p.243) However, some people want to keep the old black box which has caused a conflict. It helps to keep our belief system going, so that it can be passed down
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In the Lottery, there are persons such as Mr. Summers who is well liked, and Mr. Graves is the postmaster, and they are both in agreement with the lottery so many villagers feel good to be among those who accept the lottery. They are silently